An increasing number of people are turning to the snake diet as a way to lose weight, but it’s more than just a diet that restricts certain foods or calories. When Cole Robinson came up with the snake diet, he wasn’t certified in any nutrition-related field but was known as a fitness coach.
The inspiration for this diet comes from a snake, which eats a large protein-rich meal and then goes 22 hours without eating anything else. Humans have survived famines by eating only one meal, on average, a few times a week, and this idea is based on that experience.
A 48-hour fast is followed by a 1-2-hour eating window, after which the fasting period resumes. The purpose of the fasting window is to rid the body of sugar and other toxins and raise the metabolic rate, so that it can burn more calories.
Snake Juice and water are used to keep the body hydrated during the fasting period. ‘Once you reach your goal weight, you can cycle in and out of fasts, surviving one meal every 24-48 hours,’ says Robinson, according to healthline.com.
For as long as possible, you fast to obtain all of your macronutrients. There is no scientific evidence to support these claims.
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How Do You Eat Like A Snake?
This is not a ketogenic or an intermittent fasting diet, according to Robinson. The Snake Diet is neither of these two diets, but rather a combination of both. Several of his rules are laid out on his website and explained in detail on his YouTube channel.
During the fasting period, you must consume Snake Juice as part of this diet. On his website, you can buy this juice for $39.99 or make it yourself. This is what’s in it:
– 8 cups of water, 2 litres
– 1/2 teaspoon (2 grammes) of Himalayan pink salt
– 1 teaspoon of potassium chloride salt-free
– 2 grammes (1/2 teaspoon) of Epsom salt food-grade
There is a lack of proper dosage.
Women should consume between 1600 and 1800 calories per day, while men should consume between 2000 and 3000, equating to between 11000 and 15000 calories per week for women and 14000 to 21000 calories per week for men.
However, according to this diet, a beginner should consume no more than 3500 calories per week. The body lacks the calories and energy it needs to function normally on a daily basis.
Both men and women gradually increase their caloric intake after reaching their ideal weight. During ketosis, the body switches to burning fat for energy instead of glucose because it has been starved for an extended period of time and its glucose levels have dropped.
This is why it is suggested that you use a urine strip to measure your ketones while on this diet.
The snake diet consists of three phases that can help you lose a significant amount of weight, but in a potentially lethal manner. Included in these stages are:
Phase 1:
Ketosis as a source of energy is first introduced to the body during this phase for those just starting out on the ketogenic diet.
Fasting for the first 48 hours is the foundation of any diet. It’s during this phase that the body is given a mixture of water, Snake Juice, apple-cider vinegar and lemon juice.
After this, there is an eating window that lasts for about an hour and a half. Dietary components are not specified in any detail. It’s designed to be a substantial meal with plenty of macronutrients in it.
There are 72 hours of fasting after this where you can only eat the supplements that have been prescribed to you. The liver needs to be detoxified during this time period. Toxins will naturally be flushed from the body.
Even if you don’t lose weight, he advises that you keep fasting for longer periods of time. A detox diet may have some benefits, but it’s not a good idea because the body needs energy to function.
Phase 2 consists of the following:
Fasting in Phase 2 begins when you eat a single meal and ends when your body gives in to your hunger pangs.
Losing weight while weakening your body is one of the side effects of going on and off diets for long periods of time. Continue this cycle until you reach your weight loss goal.
During the third phase –
Fasting periods of 24 to 48 hours, punctuated by a single meal, are part of Phase 3. Instead of ignoring cravings and hunger, this method caters to the body’s natural hunger needs and desires.
This requires a little more effort than the previously described method of not responding to the body’s hunger cues.
Due to long periods of not eating, your body’s leptin and ghrelin levels may be affected, as well as the brain’s hunger and fullness centres.
Is It Effective for Weight Loss?
Yes, your body loses a lot of weight quickly because it doesn’t get the nutrition it needs. As a result, your body begins to lose both fat and muscle mass.
It becomes drab and lifeless. Cells lack the necessary nutrients. Despite the fact that this method does result in weight loss, it is a risky way to get rid of unwanted body fat.
It is also necessary to reduce calories after the body has become accustomed to a certain level. During the first two weeks, about two pounds are lost per week, and after the third week, about one pound is lost per week.
The best way to lose weight is to eat a well-balanced diet, exercise, and have a positive attitude. The diet’s methods clearly do not reflect this. Weight gain can be prevented, but not eliminated, by using this method.
In addition, it weakens your body to the point where you are no longer able to engage in any kind of physical activity. Not only that, but even the functioning of the brain begins to degrade.
When the body is starved, it is at risk for a wide range of health problems because the cells are deprived of essential nutrients. As a result, one’s immune system is weakened. For weight loss, you don’t need to go to such extremes.
The Snake Diet’s Purpose: Is It Beneficial?
According to Robinson, weight loss can help treat diabetes type 2, herpes virus, inflammation, and even cancer. There is no scientific evidence to support these statements.
Fasting and starvation may have different effects on inflammation and diabetes, according to various studies. Fasting for a period of four to 21 days with a daily calorie allowance of only 250 has been studied in adults.
Results show that blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and mood have improved as a result of the supplementation. The liver and kidneys also detoxify to some degree.
It may appear that the Snake Diet is an intermittent fasting method, but this is not the case. Intermittent fasting, on the other hand, allows you to eat a proper breakfast, lunch, and dinner despite the fact that you’ll be fasting for long periods of time.
Cons of a Snake-Based Diet
There are a number of health issues that can arise as a result of this diet, as well as some drawbacks.
1. Toxic Effects on Eating Habits
There is a lot of emphasis on starvation and deprivation in the snake diet and its creator Robinson. This causes you to avoid food and starve yourself until your body finally succumbs to the pressure.
People, especially those who are already ill, may be putting their health at risk in order to lose weight, especially if they are already ill.
2. Extremely limiting
In order to meet the body’s needs for nutrition, it is critical to distribute macros and nutrients throughout the day.
Proper dietary guidelines are not mentioned at all in this diet. To put it another way, if you drastically reduce the amount of food and calories you consume, how do you ensure that your body gets the nutrients it needs?
Additionally, Robinson discusses intermittent “dry diets,” in which liquid and food are not permitted for a predetermined period of time. This severely limits your food options and may cause you to become dehydrated.
Restricting one’s diet to this degree, even if it is natural and beneficial to one’s health, can have a variety of negative effects.
3. Unsustainable
Any diet that requires you to eliminate an entire food group or drastically reduce your daily caloric intake is doomed to failure. It is impossible for your body to thrive on a diet of only a few foods, as each one serves a specific purpose in your body.
When you’re starving to death, you’ll eventually have to get back on the right path. It’s possible that this is dangerous. They are based on theories and methods that have no basis in science. Robinson is not an expert in nutrition.
The supplement he recommends, Snake Juice, does not meet the body’s needs for vitamins and micronutrients.
These are capable of causing diseases that affect the body’s major organs. The efficiency of the brain declines. You’ll begin to feel drowsy as your body begins to show signs of exhaustion.
Conclusion
Such diets unquestionably result in rapid weight loss. However, there are a number of repercussions to this. It’s not a good idea to go to extremes in order to achieve a certain body type.
Body positivity should be pushed. Although Snake Diet is practised by some, the general public should be made aware of it because it does not promote a healthy way of life, but the opposite.
Instead, make an effort to alter your eating habits and increase your physical activity if you want to shed pounds. There are a slew of healthier methods for losing weight and keeping it off.
